Book Summary:
Pink and Say is a Civil War story passed down from great-grandfather to grandmother, to son, and to the author herself, Patricia Polacco. It starts out with a white Union soldier, Say, who is left for dead in a pasture in Georgia. Pink, a black Union soldier, finds him and brings him to his mother's home. Moe Moe Bay cares for the both of them for some time. During this time, the boys develop a beautiful relationship. Then, Marauders come, and Moe Moe Bay has the boys hide, but her life is taken.
Moe Moe Bay's words made the boys brave as they headed back to find their troops. As they were walking back, they were being followed by some Confederate soldiers. Pink and Say were grabbed and taken as prisoners of the Confederate Army.
Pink and Say were brought to one of the worst Confederate camps, and they were separated.
The end of the book talks about what happened after they were separated - Say was released from the prison months later, returned to his home, and recovered. Pink was hanged hours after arriving at the camp.
APA Reference of Book:
Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
Impressions:
Historical fiction is not my genre of choice, but I truly enjoyed this book. I think what I liked most was seeing the relationship between Pink and Say develop, especially since it was an unlikely relationship during the Civil War days. The author really knows how to pull at the reader's heartstrings. Watching Pink take care of Say by carrying him a long distance was very powerful.
I also like how real the book felt. For example, the way Moe Moe Bay talks makes the reader feel like he/she is in the story ("They's a freshwater spring"). The book shows the struggle it was for the boys to go back to fighting, especially Say. I'm sure that soldiers really did feel like this.
I was so sad when Moe Moe Bay was shot and the boys buried her. But it was great to see how her words rang in the boys' hearts and made them brave. I was also sad when the boys were taken prisoners. Even though I didn't like the ending (because I always like happy endings), it was the truth, and the truth speaks loud.
The illustrations helped me to picture the story even more. I think they are watercolored pictures, and they are detailed, especially the characters' faces.
I think it's really powerful that Patricia Polacco wrote about her own family member. And it's surprising that she mentions this at the end of the book (I think it makes it even more memorable). I like that the book tells about what happened to the boys after the story ended too.
This book would be great for upper elementary students even up into high schoolers because of the impact it can cause and the discussions it can start.
Professional Review:
"This book, the story of Polacco's great-great-grandfather, has been passed down from generation to generation in the author-artist's family. Fifteen-year-old soldier Sheldon Russell Curtis - Say to his family - has been left for dead on a Civil War battlefield somewhere in Georgia. A fellow Union soldier, Pinkus Aylee, who is African American - " I had never seen man like him so close before. His skin was the color of polished mahogany" - discovers him and, with much effort, droughts feverish Say home, where his mother, a slave named Moe Moe Bay, nurses Say back to health. As the boys regain their strength, they become as close as real family and discuss things close to their hearts. Pink shares his special talent: Master Aylee, his owner, had taught him how to read. "To be born a slave is a heap o' trouble, Say. But after Aylee taught me to read, even though he owned my person, I knew that nobody, ever, could really own me." Say receives special comfort from Moe Moe when he admits that he deserted his troop and is afraid to return to war. On the morning the two boys plan to leave and search for their respective troops, marauding Confederate soldiers arrive and kill Moe Moe. Pink and Say are later captured and become prisoners of the Confederate Army, in Andersonville. Although Say lived to tell this story of friendship and brotherhood, Pink was hanged within hours of arriving at the dreaded prison. Told in Say's colorful, country-fresh voice, the text incorporated authentic-sounding dialect and expressions - such as darky - that would have been used at the time. Polacco's characteristic acrylic, ink, and pencil illustrations are suitably dramatic and focus on the intense physical and emotional joy and pain of the story's three main characters. The remarkable story, made even more extraordinary in its basis in actual events, raises questions about courage, war, family, and slavery. A not-to-be-missed tour de force."
Fader, E. (1994). Pink and Say book review [Review of the book
Pink and Say, by P. Polacco]. Horn Book Magazine, 70, p.48.
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Library Uses:
The librarian could dress up in character like Moe Moe Bay to give an introduction to the story (tell the story in her own words before reading it). While reading it, she can chime in to add her "own words." This will engage the children in the story because it will feel like the librarian (Moe Moe Bay) was really there.
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